Into the West: Watching the formation of Valdemar

Into the West by Mercedes Lackey

Into the West (2022) is the second book in Mercedes Lackey’s THE FOUNDING OF VALDEMAR trilogy. Readers can absolutely start with this trilogy before diving into any other VALDEMAR books, but you’ll want to read Beyond, the first (and most exciting) book in this trilogy, before picking up this one. Only mild spoilers for Beyond are in this review.

The journey continues with Duke Kordas Valdemar and his people as they seek a new home. Having passed through the Gate, Kordas and 15,000 of his citizens find themselves in an unknown land. Their mission is clear: keep moving until they find an unclaimed territory to settle in. Though not all of his people agree (and this creates some tension), Kordas is determined not to be a colonialist. He wants to be a good neighbor, helping the tribes they encounter and making friends along the way.

The Empire is no longer an immediate threat, but the journey is still fraught with challenges. Kordas has the opportunity to create a new society, one that’s better than the one they left behind, but he must deal with citizens (nobles, of course) who don’t share his vision for a new, more equal society.

Another issue involves the elemental spirits who Kordas saved in the last book and who are traveling with the humans, happy to help them until the spirits can be freed from their earth-bound bodies. Unfortunately, some people think it’s fine to abuse these beings and Kordas must put a stop to that. Kordas hopes the magicians can figure out how to free the elementals from their constructs, but for now they just need to focus on surviving and finding a home in this untamed land that’s full of scary creatures and unknown magics.

For fans of Lackey’s characters, magic system, and world, Into the West offers a deeper understanding of Valdemar’s history and characters. We’re watching the formation of Valdemar in this trilogy. In this installment we also get to spend a lot of time with the Hawkbrothers, a somewhat mysterious tribe that features in later (chronologically) novels.

However, Into the West involves a lot of traveling and talking, which makes it, in my opinion, a lot less exciting than the first book, Beyond, which was filled with action and political intrigue. The constant traveling, and Kordas’s frequent self-doubt, second-guessing, and occasional moralizing (while drawing obvious parallels to American society), can become tiresome.

The audio edition, produced by Tantor Audio and narrated by Paul Woodson, is very well done. I recommend it.

The final book in the trilogy is appropriately titled Valdemar. I’ll let you know how it goes.